iPhone 5 release imminent as 4 stock drops

Despite the method Apple used for massive iPhone sales at the launch of the iPhone 4S this past year, it appears now that the iPhone 4 will be exiting the show before the iPhone 5 hits shelves later this year. Several companies including Target and RadioShack have initiated a $49.99 sale price for the iPhone 4 with Best Buy joining this party just this week. Searches across several online sources (including Best Buy online) have yielded shows of low or no stock on the phone, this very possibly pointing toward the stock change that will certainly occur once the next-generation iPhone 5 hits shelves.

Both RadioShack and Target also have sales currently for the newest model on the market, the iPhone 4S, this also triggering analysts to suggest that Apple is cleaning stock for the 2012 generation. The iPhone 3GS, on the other hand, is still as free as it was when the iPhone 4S was released – though good luck to you on finding one in-stock anywhere online at the moment. The iPhone 5 (or The New iPhone, iPhone 4G, or whatever it will end up being called) will likely be popping up in October, the same month that last year’s iPhone 4S was announced and released.

In years past it was June that the new iPhone was released, both the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS being announced and released inside that month. The next-generation iPhone has been tipped to be coming with a profile that’s nearly identical to the current-generation iPhone 4/4S but with a 4-inch display instead along with 4G LTE and several other next-level additions. Have a peek at our iPhone 5 timeline below to see all there is to see on the iPhone 5 before it’s revealed for real!